Cardinal Dolan: WYD gives us a great sense of the Church Universal

(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York is in Rio de Janeiro
to participate in World Youth Day .He is among the 36 American bishops who serve
as catechists for English-speaking groups during the week-long programme of events
that culminate on Sunday 28th July. Speaking to Sean Patrick Lovett,
Vatican Radio’s correspondent in Rio, Cardinal Dolan says he has attended every single
World Youth Day except the very first one in Buenos Aires….

Listen Sean
Patrick Lovett’s interview with Cardinal Timothy Dolan…

“I love them!”
– says Cardinal Dolan, and one of the reasons is “that you get to see everybody. You
walk around and it’s a wonderful reunion”. He says it’s a great occasion of reunion
for the Church Universal.

The first World Youth Day in Buenos Aires was in
1987, and although Cardinal Dolan says he did not attend that one, he has made every
single other World Youth Day since.

What makes this one special he says is
that it is Pope Francis’ first World Youth Day, and it is also his first Apostolic
journey outside Italy. So – he says: “the eyes of the world are on him as they have
been since March 13th, but World Youth Day – and he’d be the first to say
it – there’s a genius and there’s a spice to World Youth Day even apart from the Pope
– there is a sense of cohesion in the faith of young people”.

Cardinal Dolan
says the feedback he receives from the young people of his own Diocese, the Diocese
of New York tells him that “one of the temptations today is to feel very isolated
and alone in your faith. If they are in a college campus, if they’re working somewhere,
they often say to themselves ‘does anybody share my values? Does anybody pray? does
anybody do his or her best to live the Commandments and the Beatitudes? Is there
anybody who is taking a life of virtue seriously?... I need company!” Cardinal Dolan
says an event such as this one gives them company, and it shows them the diversity
of the Church today.

Coming in contact with young people from countries in
which there is persecution for example really gives them a different perspective.